This is an exciting time for gerontology education at UMSL! Our distinguished, multidisciplinary faculty serve a diverse, committed student body. We care about older adults and their important perspectives and needs! Plus, with our programmatic home in the School of Social Work, a wonderful space for learning in Bellerive Hall, and broad-based support from the University Community at large, the Gerontology Program couldn't be better positioned for the opportunities of educating the gerontology work force of the 21st Century!

Founded in 1981, the Gerontology Graduate Program is one of the most mature and well-established graduate programs of its kind in the U.S. today. UMSL Gerontology graduates are involved in all aspects of aging-related professional practice in St. Louis and beyond, shaping positive attitudes and building meaningful structures for care and support of older adults. Today, the experience of advancing age is at least as diverse as any other phase of life, and arguably more so. The UMSL Gerontology Program embraces this diversity and makes sense of it for our students, while also grounding them in core values and competencies that define them as "UMSL Gerontologists."

Openness and collaboration are keys to our Program's success. While small relative to other degree programs at UMSL, the Gerontology Program holds a unique position in education and outreach that defies disciplinary boundaries. We all need to know about health, function and success in aging - if not professionally, then certainly for ourselves and family members. My vision for UMSL Gerontology is simple, that we are the preeminent source for academic and professional training in gerontology for our City and Region!

The Gerontology Graduate Program is a member of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE), and our curriculum complies with all current AGHE standards. Our Two-Track Curriculum allows students to choose a professional emphasis (Service & Care or Program Administration) while still learning the base knowledge and skills needed to be a successful, generalist gerontologist. Our graduates are employed in government, not-for-profit and for-profit settings across the St. Louis area and beyond (view Careers in Aging Guide). While most choose to end their education with the Masters Degree, study on the doctoral level is a growing area of interest and opportunity. One of our recent graduates earned a full-ride scholarship to pursue her PhD at a prominent midwestern University!

Are you interested in possibly studying Gerontology at the Masters, Graduate Certificate or Undergraduate Certificate level with us? If so, my door is open to you! Feel free to give me a call (314-516-5421) or drop me an email (meusert@umsl.edu).

Thomas M. Meuser, Ph.D. ABOUT THE PROGRM Clinical Psychologist Interview with Dr. Meuser
Associate Professor of Social Work & Gerontology
Director, Gerontology Program
Coordinator, UMSL Life Review Project VIEW a 2014 Student Interview
University of Missouri - St. Louis

Mission Statement

The Gerontology Program is committed to producing graduates who have an appreciation for the rewards and challenges of gerontological practice, and who are equipped with the knowledge to shape positive attitudes concerning aging, and who have the skills necessary to build meaningful structures for care and support of older adults in our community and beyond.

"An UMSL gerontologist is very prepared. That was something that I felt Dr. Meuser emphasized to us in the program. An UMSL gerontologist is going to be very understanding and very open to the ideas of working with many different types of people as they age. I feel that an UMSL gerontologist is well-rounded." Torrey Johnson, MSG (2010 Graduate)